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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Key industry terms

Definitions of some key industry terms -

Here are some simple terms that have often come up to make it easier to understand what is being said in the Industry.

Audition: This is anything that an actor tries out for. it can be spoken or not. It can be for a commercial or theatre or TV or a film.

Call back: This is when the actor has done an audition and then is called back for a second audition. This means they liked you. It is a good thing.

Hold: This is where the production has asked an actor to possibly do a job, though for various reasons they cannot actually book the actor. It rarely has to do with talent, they would never hold you if they didn’t like your audition, it often has to do with production restrictions and union rules.

Booking: This is where an actor is given a job. Sometimes they are paying, sometimes not. It is always a confirmed job that has a shoot date.

Shoot date: This is the date that the actor will film a TV, movie, commercial etc. Often there are many shoot dates in a row and sometimes they are broken up into several weeks or months.

Set: This is any portion of the area where the shoot is actually occurring. For example, the eating area is not on set, though it is on the production lot.